ADDRESS BY THE PRIME MINISTER RT HON GRAND CHIEF SIR MICHAEL SOMARE GCL GCMG CH CF KStJ AT THE SUB REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SPECIAL MEASURES FOR ADVANCING WOMEN'S REPRESENTATION IN LEGISLATURES

Minister for Community Development Dame Carol Kidu and her Department Secretary Joe Klapat,

Representatives from AusAID, NZAID,

UN Agencies in PNG,

Pacific Island Forum Secretariat,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I take this opportunity to welcome all participants from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji including Papua New Guinea whose noble aim during this workshop is to find ways forward in advancing women’s representation in all our parliaments in the region.

This fact is no more pronounced than in PNG where our population is around 6.1 million yet we have had in the last 15 years (come 2012) only one woman representative in parliament.

While these are decisions made by the voters of Papua New Guinea, we as the members of the legislature should be doing much more to change the mindset of our voters to give women equal consideration when polling time comes around.

I personally as you may know have continually supported the advancement of women since Independence.

When we were looking for skilled Papua New Guineans back in 1975, my government then recognised such pioneer public servants as the late Dame Rose Kekedo and our current High Commissioner in London Ms Jean Kekedo. We did not think twice about them taking over as heads of departments from Australian MALE administrators.

And we had no regrets as both these women went on to make enormous contributions to the early development of our nation.

While pioneer women politicians such as Dame Josephine Abaijah was not given a ministry during her terms in parliament, two women under my leadership as prime minister were given ministries; namely Nahau Rooney (Justice) and for two of her three terms in office, Dame Carol Kidu (Community Development).

I realise that not all my colleagues are keen to positively discriminate in favour of women or to even recognise the value that both genders can add to the development process.

Sadly there are some whose minds are already made up on the rightful place of women in our Pacific Island Societies.

But I am confident that with the new generation of leadership in the region today and persistent lobbying and awareness we can overcome some of these hurdles.

As members of the legislature we too have our part to play in increasing the representation of women in our parliaments.

There is already provision in the PNG constitution, for instance, for nominated members of parliament and Dame Carol has been actively encouraging its implementation.

Alternatively there is the option of introducing reserved seats for women. While I find this latter option favourable it will take longer to introduce than Section 101 that already exists.

Both these options have their supporters and opponents. But we must start somewhere and sooner rather than later.

Apart from legislation there are other little steps that can be taken to ensure women candidates are not forced out of the race through intimidation and harassment and that woman voters equally are not pushed to vote for candidates selected by their male relatives.

One of the simple ways forward is to have separate polling booths; one for women and one for men. The electoral Commission has a large role to play in providing an environment that encourages free choice by women voters.

Since taking office 6 years ago we have made tremendous progress in the appointment of qualified women into executive positions in government. by appointing women on merit to these high positions in office sets the scene for further acceptance in society of the role of women in our developing democracies.

At this juncture, I acknowledge the contributions of Ms Margaret Elias, Acting Chief Secretary to Government and Secretary for Personal Management; Ms Winnie Kiap, Secretary to Cabinet and Acting Secretary, Department of PM; Ms Hitelai Polume, Secretary to Justice; Ms Betty Palaso, Commissioner of Internal Revenue Commission and Ms Nelly James, Secretary to the Department of Mines.

This is encouraging because I think the condition today is right for us to push more aggressively for equal participation in the decision making process of our governments.

My personal thoughts are that it is also up to women to be a little more assertive. Nobody likes a person male or female who is too aggressive but everyone admires strength of character, integrity and most of all performance.

I think women are blessed with feminine attributes of gentleness, empathy and a nurturing spirit. I believe women must take advantage of these traits to offer a leadership that is different to men but at the same time complimentary in all aspects of nation building.

Our nations of the Pacific need to have both gender representations in parliament if we are to realise our full potentials in this global environment.

We can no longer argue that custom stops us from recognising women as equal partners in our development when our aspirations are to embrace many western ideals and concepts.

I welcome and acknowledge the support of our development partners in this regard towards achieving the objective of increasing women’s representation in parliament.

I therefore take this opportunity to thank the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat for its initiative to hold this important workshop.

I also thank our development partners AusAID, the secretariat of the Pacific Community, UNIFEM Pacific, UNDP Pacific Centre, International Development Law Organisation, Inter-Parliamentary Union, PNG Sustainable Development Programme Limited and the Ministry and Department of Community Development.

Finally, I want to assure participants that I will continue to support Dame Carol Kidu in her tireless efforts to bring more women to parliament. But I also call for the support of women and development partners towards appropriate and greater awareness on the value of our women.

I will do my part in encouraging my colleague ministers and members of parliament to support legislation to have greater representation of women I the legislature.

Lastly, I wish you well in your deliberations over the next two days and look forward to reading the outcomes of your workshop at the next Forum Leaders Meeting in Australia.

 

Development is yourself

A thought just came to my mind as I was reading the newspapers this morning.

All too often, Papua New Guineans are very quick to point fingers at the government, for anything that goes wrong.

Papua New Guinea just celebrated 33 years of independence on Tuesday last week, September 16, and it is now time to look at ourselves rather than forever pointing fingers at the government.

Sure, the government isn’t made up of saints, and politicians and public servants have committed so many sins since September 16, 1975.

Development, I have always believed, is yourself.

If I develop myself, my neighbour will emulate my successes and so on, a never-ending circle of success.

Papua New Guinea, however, will continue to wallow in the depths of despair if we continue holding on to our bad habits.

They are, to name a few:

1.      Consumption of alcohol

2.      Smoking

3.      Chewing of betelnut

4.      Laziness

5.      Criminal activities

6.      Use of drugs, in particular, marijuana

7.      Gambling

8.      Beliefs in sorcery

9.      Wantok system

10.  Procastination

If you would like to add to this list, you can make a comment at the bottom or email me at malumnalu@gmail.com.

 

Malaysia detains 'dissent' writer

Raja Petra was arrested under a law that allows detention without trial
Mr Abdullah has insisted he will remain in office

A prominent anti-government blogger in Malaysia has been detained for two years on charges of insulting Islam, BBC reports.
Raja Petra Kamarudin has been held without trial under controversial internal security laws which could see him detained indefinitely.
He was arrested on 12 September as part of a crackdown on dissent by the Malaysian government, which is facing a mounting challenge from the opposition.
Raja Petra's lawyer said the order was "a big blow" to civil liberty.
The BBC's Robin Brant in Kuala Lumpur said the well-known blogger had been a thorn in the side of the Malaysian government, using his blog to become one of its most vociferous critics.
Raja Petra, himself a Muslim, was accused of insulting Islam and inciting racial tensions through an article he published on the Malaysia Today website.
The charge is highly sensitive in multi-ethnic Malaysia.
The arrest came shortly after he used his blog to accuse Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, of involvement in the 2007 murder of a Mongolian woman - a charge Mr Razak strongly denies.
Shortly before he was arrested Raja Petra told the BBC that he was not afraid of detention but wanted "to be available to help in the dissemination of information that is going to be greatly required".
'Worst news'
Mr Abdullah has insisted he will remain in office
The blogger has been sent to a detention centre in the state of Perak by order of Malaysia's home minister.
Marina Lee Abdullah, his wife, told AFP news agency: "This is the worst news I can receive, but we will keep fighting for his release."
His lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, said the order was "definitely a big blow to the idea of civil liberties, especially in a climate when everybody is asking for greater rights".
Raja Petra was one of three critics of the government arrested in what the opposition said was a sign of panic by the embattled administration of Abdullah Badawi.
Mr Abdullah's government suffered an unprecedented drop in support in the general election earlier this year and he has faced calls to resign from both opposition and some members of his own party.
Last week he rejected claims by the opposition, led by Anwar Ibrahim, that they had enough support to overthrow him, saying he was "here to stay".
Mr Anwar recently won a landslide victory in a by-election - returning him to parliament after a decade's absence.
He was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998, and jailed for six years for sodomy and corruption - allegations he has always denied.
Controversial
Under the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA), Raja Petra can be held for two years, a sentence which can be renewed indefinitely.
The order can only be overturned by the home minister, not a judge.
Political groups both within the ruling government coalition and outside it have criticised the ISA and the inherent potential for abuse.
A member of the cabinet, Zaid Ibrahim, resigned last week over the government's use of the act, saying it "should only be used on armed terrorists or those out to topple the government by force".
Opposition MP Teresa Kok was detained for one week under the act after she was accused of campaigning for a mosque to lower the volume of its call to prayer.
Another blogger, Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, and Chinese-language journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, have also been held under the ISA.
Raja Petra's detention is likely to lead to further criticism of the Malaysian government, both domestically and internationally, says our correspondent.

Veterans speak out about Kokoda in TV documentary

A new documentary is seeking to set the record straight on Australia’s famous Kokoda Track World War II campaign by hearing from the people that were there.

Beyond Kokoda, which airs on pay TV’s History Channel today, is the brainchild of two young producers, Stig Schnell and Shaun Gibbons, who are fascinated with Australia’s military history.

The documentary hears the brutal first-hand accounts of both Australian and Japanese veterans, with many describing how they didn’t think twice about killing in the combat in Papua New Guinea, which raged from July 1942 until February 1943.

The conflict, dubbed the Battle For Australia, has long been of fascination for historians.

But Schnell said he wanted to get away from the myths and “jingoism” of what it meant for the country and hear first-hand accounts from Australians and Japanese and let the viewers make up their own mind.

“We kind of wanted to humanise it,” Schnell told AAP.

“We didn’t bang the nationalist drum on either side.

“To break the myth really gives justice to each individual story.

“We don’t need to heap all this crap on top of these veterans, they did this, they did that, we just need to listen to what they have to say and that is more than enough, their story is fantastic enough.”

The documentary recreates scenes and shows flawed decisions made by politicians on both sides.

It also features the villagers named the “fuzzy-wuzzy angels” who helped wounded Aussie soldiers, as well as villagers who assisted the Japanese soldiers.

A former member of the Australian Army, Schnell said the veterans were only too happy to share their experiences, which were still haunting them, but many of their wives and daughters were worried about them speaking.

“It’s the wives that were there for these guys supporting them when the government was saying: ‘Look forget about it, look you won, good work,’” Schnell said.

“Post-traumatic stress or war weariness, what they used to call it, just wasn’t dealt with that well.

“Whereas if a soldier fires his weapon now he has three to six months of counselling.”

Without much archival footage around, Schnell looked to his army mates to get him to help recreate scenes.

Five years in the making, Schnell had no experience in documentaries, let alone television production.

He left the army after injuring his back, started an adventure tour company but when that fell apart he started the television production business with Gibbon.

“We said if we’re going to start it, we might as well do something really, really big and we started doing this travel log of the Kokoda Track, which quickly turned into this doco,” Schnell said.

Next the enterprising duo are planning to climb Mount Cook in New Zealand in December and January, and make a documentary about it.

Beyond Kokoda airs on the History Channel at 8.30pm today. - AAP

 

 

Taiwan Technical Mission maximises crop production for better food security and cash opportunity

Farming is not a new concept when it comes to people of Papua New Guinea.

In fact most people in PNG in one way or another have some basic idea of growing crops and rearing livestock such as pigs and poultry for food and prestige.

However, with the current day pressures from increased population, food shortages and increased daily need for cash our old practices are no longer reliable.

The ROC Taiwan Technical Mission has been teaching and supporting farmers in PNG to adopt innovative techniques and ideas to maximise crop production for home food security and creating cash income earning opportunities.  

One such technique is currently being trialed for documentation in collaboration with National Department of Agriculture and Livestock (NDAL) at the Erap Food Security Resource, Development and Information Centre, in Markham valley.

The concept is called ‘Continuous Sequential Planting and Harvesting Technique’.         

This technique calls for the farmer to plant in continuous planned intervals so that the crop is harvested continuously to supply the market thus not letting the customer down with supply shortages. 

The concept can work for farmers utilising both irrigation system and natural rainfall.      

The advantage with irrigation system is that this cropping and harvesting pattern can continue all year around and the farmer is therefore secured in both food and cash income opportunity all year around.

Farmers utilising natural rainfall, however, can still maximise production during the rainfall period and the money earned and saved will support the farmer during dry seasons where crop production is low.

Different crops and varieties will have their own cropping and harvesting pattern, but with the corn (maize) trial, corn is planted under natural rainfall at intervals of two weeks.

The crop takes two and half months from planting to harvesting of fresh cobs for eating or marketing.

Harvesting follows the planting pattern whereby within two weeks, the first set of planted crops are harvested and marketed while the next set of planting is maturing for the next set of harvesting and so on.

The preliminary report from this field demonstration indicates that good income can be made by the farmer in cropping corn under this continuous planting and harvesting technique.            

In an area of 0.1 hectare piece of land that is manually cropped, total revenue of K400 is possible with a healthy net profit of K200.

With this concept a K2000 net profit is possible for a one- hectare area cropping.

Corn is an important grain crop that can be eaten both fresh and dry (corn flour) and the excess corn and straws can also be used for livestock feeds so the benefit is multiple.

The good news is that corn, or maize, grows well in PNG.

According to Taiwan technical expert George Sun, farmers in PNG need to be creative and innovative in their farming approaches.

They must change their old farming attitudes and take on new farming ideas and techniques that can allow for increased crop production for greater food security and create cash earning opportunities.

Any one interested with this concept can contact Mr Sun and/or Mr Ario Movis of the NDAL office in Lae for detailed information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

75 Books Every Man Should Read

Esquire magazine, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary, has long been a favorite of mine mainly because of its strong literary tradition and its emphasis on what Americans call ‘New Journalism’ – a style of writing in which journalism is written like a novel.
This American icon continues this tradition in its latest issue, commemorating its 75 years, with an article titled 'The 75 Books Every Man Should Read', which, according to Esquire itself, "is an unranked, incomplete, utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published".
“How many have you read?” it challenges its readers.
I became a great fan of Esquire after studying the New Journalism style of writing at University of PNG in the 1980s under British lecturer David Ingram, and it has had a strong influence on my style of writing.
I used to be an avid reader of Esquire and another great publication, Rolling Stone, when they were sold at supermarkets and news agencies in the country.
However, these days, finding Esquire is just about impossible and I don’t know whether or not our supermarkets and news agencies continue to stock it, however, my reprieve is that I can always go to its website http://www.esquire.com/ and read some top-of-the-table feature articles.
Esquire began as a racy publication for men, published by David A. Smart and Arnold Gingrich, and flourished during the Great Depression.
It transformed itself into a more refined periodical with an emphasis on men's fashion and contributions by iconic American writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
In the 1960s, Esquire helped pioneer the trend of New Journalism by publishing such writers as Norman Mailer, Tim O'Brien, John Sack, Gay Talese and Tom Wolfe.
Esquire has put up a slideshow of 75 books every man should read on its website, and it is indeed a very good list, with books by John Updike, John Cheever, Kingsley and Martin Amis, Ernest Hemingway, John McPhee, James Joyce, Phil Roth, Norman Mailer, and the token Russians Leo Tolstoy and Fydor Dostoevsky.
There are only four non-white men on the list - Ralph Ellison, Salman Rushdie, Alex Haley, and Richard Wright - and just one woman, the incomparable Flannery O'Connor with her classic book of short stories, A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Of course there are many, many books by men that ‘should’ be read, but Esquire's extant rosters of must-read classics is quite good.
And although I thought I’d read a lot more, being a bit of a book worm, I counted that I had read only 22: Call of the Wild by Jack London; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey; For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway; The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback; Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad; Hell’s Angels by Hunter S Thompson; The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison; Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov; Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis; Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie; Moby Dick by Herman Melville; The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M Cain; The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene; Sophie’s Choice by William Styron; The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John LeCarre; The Shining by Stephen King; Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller; War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy; Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe; and Dispatches by Michael Herr.

Esquire list:
The Adventures of Augie March, by Saul Bellow; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; Affliction, by Russell Banks; All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren; American Pastoral, by Philip Roth; American Tabloid, by James Ellroy;
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner; As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text, by William Faulkner; The Autobiography of Malcolm X; Blood Meridian, Or, the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy; The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; The Call of the Wild, White Fang, & To Build a Fire, by Jack London,; Civilwarland in Bad Decline: Stories and a Novella, by George Saunders; A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole; The Continental Op, by Dashiell Hammett; The Crack-Up, by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Deliverance, by James Dickey; Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac; Dispatches, by Michael Herr; Dog Soldiers, Robert Stone; Dubliners, by James Joyce; A Fan’s Notes: A Fictional Memoir, by Frederick Exley; For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway; Going Native, by Stephen Wright; A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories, by Flannery O'Connor; The Good War: An Oral History of World War II, by Studs Terkel; The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck; Centennial Edition (1902-2002), by John Steinbeck; Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad; Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, by Hunter S. Thompson; Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison; The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara; The Known World, by Edward P. Jones; Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorge Luis Borges; Legends of the Fall, Jim Harrison; Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Three Tenant Families, by James Agee; Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov; Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry; Lucky Jim, Kingsley Amis,; Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian; Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie; Moby Dick, by Herman Melville; The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer,; Native Son, by Richard Wright; One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey,; Plainsong, by Kent Haruf; The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M. Cain; The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene; The Professional, by W. C. Heinz; Rabbit Run, by John Updike; Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates; The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe; A Sense of Where You Are: A Profile of William Warren Bradley, by John McPhee; The Shining, by Stephen King; Slaughterhouse-five, by Kurt Vonnegut; So Long, See You Tomorrow, William Maxwell; Sophie’s Choice, by William Styron; A Sport And a Pastime, James Salter; The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford; The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carré; The Stories of John Cheever, by John Cheever; The Things They Carried: A Work of Fiction, Tim O'Brien; This Boy’s Life: A Memoir, by Tobias Wolff; Time’s Arrow: Or the Nature of the Offense, by Martin Amis; Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller; Under the Volcano, Malcolm Lowry; Underworld, by Don DeLillo; War And Peace, by Leo Tolstoy; What It Takes: The Way to the White House, by Richard Ben Cramer; What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Stories, by Raymond Carver; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami; Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson; Winter’s Bone: A Novel, Daniel Woodrell; Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin,; Women, by Charles Bukowski.

Forgotten Independence and World War 11 treasures

The Parker pen used to sign the Declaration of Independence
Chieftain's stool and the state sword of Ghana
Japanese gift
Eagle of the USA Restored Willys Jeep

Thirty three ago last year, on September 16, 1975, Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia.
Festivities started at midnight with the declaration of independence by Governor-General Sir John Guise, which was broadcast live throughout the world’s newest nation state by the National Broadcasting Commission.
Fireworks and gun salutes reverberated throughout the land to herald a new day, a new era and a new nation state.
On the morning of the first day of Independence for Papua New Guinea, flag raising ceremonies took place throughout the nation.
The ceremony in Port Moresby was conducted at Independence Hill overlooking the main city centre.
Prince Charles later officially opened the First National Parliament of Papua New Guinea.
The action moved back to the Hubert Murray Stadium where a crowd of 14,000 witnessed a long and colourful ceremony during which the country’s political and legal leaders pledged their allegiance and loyalty to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea,
Cultural aides from Sogeri Senior High School represented Papua New Guinea in a ceremonial gift exchange with representatives of many nations, international organisations and the United Nations.
Messages from many lands expressed goodwill towards, and recognition of, the new nation of Papua New Guinea.
Many of those official presents Papua New Guinea received on September 16, 1975, plus the original Parker fountain pen used to sign the instruments of independence, are stored in the Modern History Department of PNG’s National Museum, along Aniua Street, off Waigani Drive in Port Moresby.
There’s a chieftain’s stool and state sword from Ghana, a samurai sword from Japan, a United States eagle, sea shells from the Philippines, a sailing vessel from Bangladesh, two cigar boxes from Russia, a Fijian war club and kava bowl, a gavel carved from ebony from Sri Lanka, a sword from Indonesia, a plate from the Netherlands, a Bible from the Anglican Church of Australia, and some others.
It goes without saying that a more modest repository for a nation’s modern treasures couldn’t be found.
It is a surprise to find such a collection of mementoes tucked away is such a setting – which looks like a scrap metal yard – off Aniua Street.
Hardly anyone visits the place, and this is confirmed by the number of signatures in the visitors’ book.
More Papua New Guineans should be taking an interest in its history.
There are other modern items kept out of sight from visitors.
One is the Daimler Saloon Sovereign official car first used by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare from 1975 to 1980.
Two other limousines, used to convey the country’s first governors-general, are also hidden in the dark of a small garage at the end of the main building.
War buffs will not be disappointed to browse through the National Museum’s Modern History Department, although it’s sad that many of the war relics couldn’t be put together, under shelter, with a word or two about their illustrious history.
These include a classic Ford Trimotor at the back of the yard, which was used during the Kokoda campaign.
It crashed while evacuating the wounded and was recovered by the Royal Australian Air Force in the late 1970s.
Nearby are the skeletal remains of a P39 Lightning fighter, also of World War 11 vintage.
The remains of two jeeps rest in the yard with aircraft wrecks.
In the front yard lies the fuselage of a small two-engine passenger plane, the shattered hulk of a small war tank and a WW11 American army truck.
The American Sturt Tank took part in the action by the Australian 18th Brigade against the Japanese during the battle for Buna in December 1942.
It formed part of a squadron of tanks of the 2/6th Australian Armoured Regiment from New South Wales, having been landed at Oro Bay.
For more than 30 years, this tank lay in the bush on Girona Plantation, less than two miles from Buna, at the very spot where it had been put out of action during the battle.
It was brought to Port Moresby in 1973 courtesy of the Australian Army.
Two other Sturt tanks were recovered from the same area.
One was taken to the USA together with the Japanese gun which knocked it out and the other to the Canberra National War Museum.
Other bits and pieces of war are on offer at the National Museum’s Modern History Department.
One of the most eye-catching is a WW11 classic, a restored 1942 Willys Jeep, which was used in every theatre of war.
A transmitter used by the Coastwatchers is displayed alongside a Japanese telephone switchboard found at Buna in 1943.
The walls are covered with paintings of war campaigns as well as large black and white photographs.
There are Japanese helmets, 60-year-old Coke bottles, machine gun parts, and numerous other paraphernalia in the dark storerooms.
One of the oldest items is a canon belonging to the famous Queen Emma, which was brought to New Britain by French colonists in the 1880s, and kept at her Rabaul mansion.
More Papua New Guineans should be taking an interest in our genuine but forgotten independence and WW11 treasures.
After all, a country with no past simply has no future.

The Modern History Department of the National Museum and Art Gallery is open to the public Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 3pm, and on Saturdays from 2pm to 5pm.